Ryan Odom’s coaching history suggested that University of Virginia basketball would change radically on his watch. Six games into his tenure, the last two against power-conference peers, the data support the hypothesis.
Sure, the sample size is minimal, and yes, opening routs of Rider, North Carolina Central, Hampton and Marshall soon will be forgotten. But UVA’s tests last weekend against the Big Ten’s Northwestern and Big East’s Butler at the Greenbrier Tip-Off also served as confirmation.
This team will win, and lose, much differently than during Tony Bennett’s historically successful 15 seasons guiding the program.
Some observations as Virginia (5-1) prepares to host Division I fledgling Queens (3-4) on Black Friday.
Game of Chance
Seven transfers and acclaimed imports Thijs De Ridder and Johann Grunloh brought copious amounts of scoring, rebounding, size and experience to the Cavaliers. Somewhat lost amid the hype was homegrown point guard Chance Mallory.
A 5-foot-10 freshman from St. Anne’s-Belfield, Mallory has been superb off the bench, averaging 11.3 points and 24.8 minutes. His 16 assists are second only to Dallin Hall’s 23, and his 16 steals are 11 more than any teammate’s.
Moreover, in two games at the Greenbrier, the victory over Northwestern and loss to Butler, Mallory collared 14 rebounds, including a game-best eight against the Wildcats.
“They send five guys to the glass, including their point guards,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. “He hadn’t been doing it as much, but Hall was. Give Mallory a lot of credit. … He’s strong, he’s poised, they put the ball in his hands.
“He had more rebounds than anyone on our team, and he’s one of the smallest guys on the floor. It’s not about size a lot of times. A lot of times, rebounding is about want-to and going and getting the ball and being physical and tough, and he did that.”
When I asked Mallory if he’s always had the rebounding knack, Odom interjected: “Yes. I’ve watched him many times.”
“I feel like sometimes the ball just lands (in my hands),” Mallory said.
And when the ball finds the uber-quick Mallory, UVA can push the tempo.
“Obviously he could be a starter,” Odom said, “but he understands he needs to give us a burst every time he comes in.”
Photo by Jamie Holt/Virginia Athletics
Fast times
Renowned and occasionally panned for its plodding offense under Bennett, Virginia has accelerated the pace. Ken Pomeroy’s advanced metrics offer stark evidence.
During Bennett’s tenure, the Cavaliers’ average offensive possession ranged from 19.3 to 21.3 seconds and never in the top 280 nationally. This season, UVA is averaging 16.6 seconds, 124th among 365 Division I teams.
Of Odom’s nine previous teams — two each at VCU and Utah State, and five at Maryland Baltimore County — only his first UMBC squad played faster.
Though the Cavaliers’ offensive tempo stands only 12th in the 18-team ACC, it’s a significant change, witness the scoreboard.
For the first time ever, Virginia scored at least 80 points in each of its first five games, the longest such streak at any point in a season since 2001. The Cavaliers are averaging 86.5 points, a norm that will gradually dip as the schedule toughens, but that’s 15.1 points north of Bennett’s highest-scoring team, the 2019 national champions.
Virginia shot a season-low 37.5% against Northwestern, which Collins called “really good defense against a high-powered offense.” But thanks to 30 made free throws, 21 offensive rebounds and 17 fast-break points, the Cavaliers prevailed 83-78.
Glass crashing
UVA’s 46.4% offensive rebounding rate at the Greenbrier mirrored its season rate of 47%, which ranks second nationally to Tennessee’s 48.2%. The ringleaders are the 6-9 De Ridder and 7-footers Grunloh and Ugonna Onyenso.
De Ridder is relentless, his experience against older, stronger European pros quite evident. Onyenso and Grunloh rely more on their height, wingspan and innate timing.
Grunloh (21) and Onyenso (18) have accounted for 39 of Virginia’s 48 blocked shots, the primary reason UVA ranks fifth nationally in block rate at 20.1%. For context: Paced by Jay Huff and Mamadi Diakite, the Cavaliers led Division I at 16.5% in 2020.
Work in progress
None of Bennett’s teams — three at Washington State and 15 at Virginia — finished a season lower than 75th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Nine of his UVA defenses ranked among the top 10.
The Cavaliers this season are 82nd, ahead of only Virginia Tech and Pitt in the ACC.
The Greenbrier games revealed two potential issues: Foul trouble and an inability to contain opposing guards.
Northwestern’s Jayden Reid and Butler’s Finley Bizjack scored 25 points each against Virginia, while De Ridder and Mallory fouled out versus the Wildcats, Hall against the Bulldogs.
Help is on the way in every regard.
Minor knee surgery shelved forward Devin Tillis for the opening four games, and he played a combined 16 minutes last weekend. He was second-team All-Big West last season for UC Irvine, where he averaged 13.7 points and 7.8 rebounds and helped the Anteaters rank 20th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
His return gives Odom nine chess pieces to maneuver.
“I’ll be very surprised” if UVA isn’t an NCAA Tournament team, Collins said.
Likewise.
David Teel, [email protected]